Hi
from Clare, 4-2019 Savu Savu to Yasawa Island Group Sunday
23rd June 2019
We
left Savu Savu to sail west between the two main islands of Fiji,
that is Vanua Levu to the north and Viti Levu to the south. This is
a well known wind funnel and so best to transit in calm weather. We
went through a very narrow pass at the bottom of the north island and
anchored in Bua Bay. We caught up with English couple John and
Stella on Exocet Strike for morning tea. We spent about three hours
chatting non stop…. who said sailing was a solitary life?
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| Coral at Yadua Island |
A
GOOD EXPERIENCE
Our
next stop was Yadua Island which is one of two small island in the
middle of the pass. By this time the wind was building and so we
stayed there four days enjoying some good snorkelling and walks on
the beach. Because of the strong wind two small fishing boats came
in with six fishermen from the mainland. They waved madly and called
greetings of “Bula Bula”. After they anchored we dingied over to
meet them. They were very glad of some company as they had been out
fishing for two weeks and were running out of conversation. They gave
us some lovely Wahoo and said they had been eating fish every day and
were sick of it. So I cooked them pasta for dinner, two loaves of
bread and gave them 500g of Flora. We all had dinner together on one
of the fishing boats. They were nice guys and this was a good
experience that we will remember fondly.
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| Clare with two of the fishermen |
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| Our delicious Wahoo |
A
NOT SO GOOD EXPERIENCE
The
next morning we left and had a very sporty sail to Yasawa Island with
a 20-25knot wind behind us and up to a two metre swell. We made good
time averaging 7 knots for the 55 mile trip. We anchored mid
afternoon at Yasawa Island in the very clear sparkling blue and aqua
water, alongside a beautiful sandy beach. We planned to go into the
village the following day to meet the Chief and do the Sevusevu
ceremony. However before we got there a motor boat came out from the
village and did Sevusevu behind our boat and after receiving our Kava
told us we could now walk on their beach and go snorkelling. I was
a bit upset by their attitude because it felt like a commercial
transaction and Kava was the payment. Our previous experiences have
been that we offer Kava to the Chief as a goodwill gesture and then
the Chief welcomes us as temporary members of the village community.
In doing so we are then welcome and free to enjoy the village and
surrounding waters. However for us, doing Sevusevu in a dinghy
behind our boat took away from the tradition and it was
disappointing.
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| Sevusevu at the back of our boat |
VILLAGE
LIFE
We
went into the village the following day and were welcomed by the
people. We firstly met Sarah who is the Kindergarten teacher for the
village. She offered to show us the school but she needed to drop
something off at her mother’s house first. We met Sarah’s mother
who is the sister of the Chief. She was skinning bananas in
preparation for the evening meal. The village was hosting a
teacher’s cluster meeting that night and the teachers from the
other five villages on the island would be attending. Sarah offered
us a bowl of sweet bananas boiled in coconut milk, a local dish which
was very delicious.
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| The village church, roof missing since Winston |
We
then went to the school which has two classrooms. There are ten
children in the Kindergarten classroom and ten students in the other
classroom which is a composite class for grade one and grade two.
The school is very nicely done with brightly coloured teaching aids
and the children’s work proudly displayed. Classrooms for the
higher primary grades are located in the other villages.
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| The school |
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| Grade 1&2 classroom |
We
ventured on, meeting as many village people as we could. Without
exception they were welcoming and called us into their homes and the
community hall. We were given papaya and bananas to take back to the
boat and invited to come back for lunch on Sunday.
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| Clare with the Chief’s sister |
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| The community hall |
AN
INTERESTING CHARACTER
We
met Nelson an elder of the village who used to be the captain on the
ferry going between the islands and the mainland. He told us of his
experience during Cyclone Winston. There was no suitable protection
from the strong winds, so after speaking with his employer who said
“it’s up to you”, he decided to beach the ship at full speed.
He stayed on the vessel and then re-floated the ferry after the storm
passed over. We have heard some amazing stories around Winston, but
we thought this one was way up there.
 |
| Andrew meeting the locals |
CRUISING FRIENDS
We
were with two other boats here, ‘Muskoka’ from Canada and ‘Tres
Bien’ from New Zealand. We all had a very enjoyable evening on
‘Muskoka’ a few nights ago and we also did some snorkelling
together. Yesterday we all left the anchorage and went in separate
directions. We are only a few miles further south, but we couldn’t
sail pass this beautiful beach. We are anchored in sand with no
outcrops of coral to worry about. The beach has thick soft sand with
a backdrop of tropical growth and coconut palms. The water is warm
and clear with gentle waves lapping the shore. We have seen many
beaches in our travels and this beach is one of the best. We enjoy
late afternoon walks along the beach, a swim in warm water and then a
little relaxation in setting sun, in total peace and isolation.
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| Our footprints on the beach, Eye Candy far in the background |
SO
WHAT NEXT
We
will continue down the chain of islands which make up the Yasawa
Group. We have some water caves to stop at and then the Blue Lagoon
which is a very popular stop for Cruisers with shops and restaurants.
But, that’s for next time.
Love
Candy xx
